


The Sophomores

by CoverYourEyes



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic, Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Adam Needs a Nap, Blue Sargent Will Fuck You Up, F/M, M/M, Post-The Raven King, Ronan & Allison Brotp, The Gangsey Confuse Everyone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-08 14:23:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10388745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoverYourEyes/pseuds/CoverYourEyes
Summary: “Oh yeah, Sargent, Gansey, Lynch, and Parrish were all recruited together from some town in Bumfuck, Virginia.  Coach only really wanted Ronan and Gansey, but they wouldn’t sign unless the other two came with.  They’re all pretty good, so it wasn’t a bad move in the end.”But just because Matt didn’t consider them an active threat didn’t mean that they weren’t.  Something about the four didn’t settle right with Neil.  He was determined to figure them out.





	1. Chapter 1

Neil was doing his best to focus on everything Matt was telling him.  Getting an outsider’s opinion of the rest of the Foxes was a good way to try to sort out the hierarchy and divides that were easy to see after spending only a minute around the disjointed team.  There was a clear separation between the ‘monsters’ and the rest of the team, but there had been another thing bothering Neil.

 

“Some of the other players seem to have their own group, too.”

 

It wasn’t phrased as a question, but Matt clearly knew who he was talking about.  Seeing as he hadn’t stiffened or betrayed any kind of distress, Neil took it as a good sign.  But just because Matt didn’t consider them an active threat didn’t mean that they _weren’t_.  Something about the four didn’t really settle right with him.

 

“Oh yeah, Sargent, Gansey, Lynch, and Parrish were all recruited together from some town in Bumfuck, Virginia.  Coach only really wanted Ronan and Gansey, but they wouldn’t sign unless the other two came with.  They’re all pretty good, so it wasn’t a bad move in the end.”

 

“So they’re all sophomores?”

 

Matt shrugged and relaxed further into his seat as he took a long pull from his beer.

 

“Yeah.  They’re not like the monsters, but – they stick together. If you say ‘The Sophomores’ everyone’ll know you mean them.  They have an off-campus apartment, so you won’t see them outside of practice, and they don’t talk or hang out with anyone else.  They go to Columbia every once in a while, though.”

 

Neil nodded along and made sure he took on a similar unconcerned look.  But something about the Sophomores had sent red flags through him. 

 

* * *

 

Ronan Lynch was – an _interesting_ individual.  He was sharp and scathing, but it didn’t seem like he’d be too dangerous.  It was more bark and less bite.

 

Until Seth Gordon started going off on Adam in the locker room – who was apparently in a relationship with the aforementioned temperamental Irishman. 

 

“– fucking disgusting.  Keep your gay shit out of my sight, trailer trash- “

 

Before Ronan moved, Neil had actually sort of bet on Gansey or Blue going after him, since Adam didn’t seem particularly bothered.  Gansey’s face had gotten cold and deathly serious, and Sargent had gripped her racquet tightly as she whirled in his direction.  But the hand wrapped around Gordon’s throat as he was pressed against his locker was Ronan’s.

 

Adam had let out an exasperated sigh, but hadn’t cut in – Neil figured he was probably used to the guy’s behavior if they’d actually known each other in high school.  What Ronan said in a threatening and deceptively casual tone had made him stop to watch the scene even after almost all of the Foxes had already showered and left the locker room.

 

“Gordon, is your right wrist important to you?  Because it looks pretty fucking breakable to me.  Ally, you mind if I break his ugly ass face with my gay fists?”

 

Allison Reynolds – who seemed to get along weirdly well with Lynch – sounded almost bored when she responded, “Not particularly.”

 

Ronan bared his teeth and leaned down to be on eye level with the striker when he said, “You’ll keep your shit to yourself if you want to hold your racquet.”

 

He let Seth go suddenly, causing the man to stumble.  Lynch then tuned to Adam and raised an eyebrow.  Parrish looked like a cross between fond and annoyed when he rolled his eyes and walked up to Ronan, grabbing his hips and pulling him into a hard kiss in a clear move to provoke Gordon.

 

After only a few seconds, the two separated.  Neil was the only one in the room who hadn’t known about the relationship, so it wasn’t a surprise when Ronan and Adam turned to look at him.

 

“Problem, Josten?”

 

“No.”

 

The heavy silence was broken by Blue letting out a mocking catcall before she said, “PDA, Parrish.  Dollar in the jar.”

  

* * *

 

 

Matt had been serious when he said the Sophomores didn’t interact much with the rest of the team.  There were little exceptions – like Gansey and Kevin getting into a debate about Welsh history of all things.  And Ronan and Allison’s constant bickering was entertaining.  So it was surprising how they reacted when they found out Neil was going to Columbia with the monsters.

 

A furious look took over Blue’s face, and she’d actually gotten up in Aaron’s space when she snarled, “Don’t you pull any of your shit.”

 

Andrew stepped in and had smiled widely at her in a manic manner that did nothing to make him look less murderous, so she’d stepped back and put away the rest of her gear.  The second string offensive dealer was actually better than Neil had predicted she’d be, but she still needed a lot of work.

 

Gansey’s face had gone pale at the mention of Columbia, but he gently tugged on Blue’s hand to make her step back.  He spoke incredibly lowly in Spanish – a language none of the Foxes knew he was fluent in.  The Sophomores had all been speaking in it when they talked about personal things, but from the stilted words and messed up conjugations it was easy to see that Blue was the only one who was actually close to fluent.  The others had to have learned recently.

 

“ _Jane, I was fine.  It wasn’t –“_

Blue had gone still, and practically spat out her words from behind grinding teeth, but her tone conveyed a subtle hint of grief. 

 

 _“They made you talk about him and they could have asked about_ all of it _.  They had no right to ever even hear Noah’s_ name.”

 

The conversation quickly ended, but Adam and Ronan had been watching the two speak without interjecting.  When all of the Sophomores were ready to leave, Neil saw as Adam gently squeezed her clenched fist and Ronan thumped Gansey across the back.

 

The Sophomores had weak spots, painfully easy ones to see.  But it was equally easy to figure out that they had dealt with enough serious shit to it in as Foxes, even if not all of their home lives would have made it so.

 

They were unknowns, and Neil had to change that.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

After the first practice following his weekend at Eden’s Twilight, Neil was startled by a hand grabbing his wrist and yanking him to the other side of the parking lot outside of the court.  Instinctively his hand shot out to attack whoever it was.  Instead, Ronan Lynch blocked the punch and raised an unimpressed eyebrow in response.

 

Neil hadn’t even known an eyebrow could convey that much contempt.

 

Lynch released him immediately and crossed his arms, looking Neil up and down critically.  Before he could ask what the fuck was going on, the other man spoke.

 

“So, are you going to have a mental breakdown?”

 

Neil opened his mouth, but nothing came out.  A second later, he drawled out in a confused voice, “Uh, no.”

 

Lynch nodded back and pulled out his phone, shooting off a text that Neil couldn’t see.  Once he’d slipped it back in his pocket, he looked back up at Neil with an amused smirk on his face.

 

“The maggot got a fucking ulcer after the four said they were bringing you to Columbia.”

 

The way he’d phrased it was – strange.  He made “the four” sound like a title, so Neil asked, “You mean the monsters?”

 

Ronan looked away, a strange grimace on his face before he looked back with what was clearly forced nonchalance.  The guy clearly thought he was better at hiding his emotions than he was.

 

“I’ve met monsters.  These guys aren’t half as bad, even if getting used to them is a bitch and a half.”

 

As if sensing that Neil wanted to question him more about what he’d said, Ronan suddenly turned around and pulled out his car keys, unlocking the BMW in front of him.

 

“I want to go home.  Chit chat isn’t my thing, but Dick will ramble in your direction about useless things for a few hours if you give him any sign that you’ll listen.”

 

Waving at Neil over his shoulder, the man slid into his car and pulled out of the parking lot, immediately flooring it and starting down the street at least twenty miles over the speed limit.  Neil had more questions than ever, and decided with resignation that he’d have to talk to one of the other Sophomores

  

* * *

 

 

Getting one of the sophomores alone was about as complicated as Neil had predicted it would be.  But observing them was simple, seeing as he was with them every day at practice.  Neil had planned on actually following Ronan’s advice.  He was manipulative enough with words that once he started talking to Gansey he was positive he could spin the conversation in a more personal direction.

 

It was basic psychology – offer up a story or something perceived as a truth, and people feel compelled to do the same.

 

Practice provided an amusing distraction that day, though.  Neil was standing on the sidelines next to Blue and Adam, all three of them getting water.

 

When the fight broke out, the other two immediately perked up to watch what was taking place.

 

Ronan and Allison had been drilling together, but they’d been getting more and more aggressive with their passing until Allison had purposely shot the ball directly at Ronan’s leg, hitting him hard on the thigh.

 

Ronan didn’t react visibly, but his voice was genuinely annoyed when he shouted mockingly to the girl, “Your lipstick is smudged.”

 

“Your tattoo is heinous.”

 

“You hiding a flower?  Maybe an anchor tramp stamp?”

 

“ _Fuck off, Lynch!_ ”

 

“Oh, someone is defensive.”

 

Allison threw aside her stick and Ronan did the same, launching themselves at each other and immediately brawling.  Neil looked around and was surprised to see that nobody was cutting in or making any move to stop them.  In fact, from what he could read from Nicky’s lips, he and Boyd were already betting on who would draw first blood.

 

Nicky put down twenty on Ronan, and Boyd put sixty on Allison.

 

The low murmurs of Spanish between Blue and Adam that started up next to him made him silent, intent to hear the conversation that followed.

 

“ _Nightmare last night?”_

_“Bad one.  Brought back leaves and blood.  He got maybe three hours of sleep.”_

Blue nodded in response to what Adam had said, and Neil knew they had to be talking in some kind of code.  He had never seen them speak about anything in Spanish around Nicky, since it was common knowledge that he knew the language, but it made sense for them to have precautions and ways around revealing anything obviously.

 

Ronan and Allison had finally broken apart, and Ronan spat to the side, blood in his saliva while his jaw was already purpling.  Allison was holding herself carefully, clearly having been hit in the stomach.

 

They nodded at each other, their expressions friendly, and Ronan sounded impressed when he said, “Right hook is getting better, Ally.  You’ve been going to the gym?”

 

Allison nodded and adjusted her ponytail before replying, “Mhm.  Pub crawl sometime this weekend?”

 

Ronan shrugged in a manner that seemed to be an agreement, and the two went back to drilling as if nothing had happened.

 

…what the fuck.


End file.
